Czech Republic: Falun Gong Practitioners Silent Vigil Seen on Television

On the eve of the Olympic Games in Beijing, the Association of Falun Gong in the Czech Republic organized a 24 hour vigil for dead practitioners of the Falun Gong meditation practice who were killed by the Chinese communist regime. The activity, which was held from 7th to 8th of August, also pointed out that 1.3 million people demand a stop to the persecution of Falun Gong in a world-wide petition.

Czech practitioners of Falun Gong in their silent appeal tried to warn the Czech people that the communist party is using the Olympics to further persecution and escalation of repression against Falun Gong. Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners around China have been arrested “in preparation” for the games. Since January 2008 at least 8000 practitioners were arrested by the Chinese regime. Practitioners are killed faster and more often than before. Falun Gong practitioners are also officially excluded from the Olympic Games, as athletes, coaches, journalists or spectators. This is the violation of the Olympic Charter as well as the code of ethics signed in Beijing in April 2007.

Silent and peaceful protest of thirty practitioners raised a huge interest among Czech media. Main TV station broadcast several times live shots from the appeal and so the news about the persecution of Falun Gong meditation practice, based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance, as well as information about labour camps near the Olympic stadiums in Chinese cities and organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners reached the whole country.

Czech minister for human rights and national minorities, Mrs. Dzamila Stehlikova, also sent her greetings to the activity. In her statement she wrote that such gatherings at the Chinese Embassy are very important: “The world must not neglect the fact, that during the monumental opening ceremony the secret police once again shut the doors of the homes of several thousands Chinese activists they are detained in house arrest during the Games, and that ‘uncomfortable’ spectators were sent home, accompanied by a police escort.”

In the evening of 8th August, the representatives of the Czech Falun Gong Association tried to pass on a letter to the Chinese Ambassador in the Czech Republic, where they asked her to appeal to the Chinese government to stop immediately the persecution of Falun Gong adherents. No one from the Embassy accepted it personally, nor did they accept a TV reporter from the Czech TV, who was trying to ask for a statement from the Embassy.

The appeal was accompanied also by the representatives of human rights organisation defending the rights of Tibetans. They wanted to express that the Chinese government didn’t fulfill its promises that they will improve the human rights of Tibetans and instead continue in the repression against Tibetan people.